The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-03-08

was we'll attended but the building was seldom
crowded. His style of speaking was at that day
hardly as popular with the masses as the louder
and more demonstrative style of some
other Western clergymen. At that time
he did not venture off from the doc
trines of the standard of his church,
and, consequently. did not have the same
elements of variety and interest which he after
wards had when he did not feel so restricted. At
that time he was very good Calvinist, and in
November. 1S40 / took notes of one Of his SER
mons in which he said, among other things.
speaking of the doctrine of election, that there
are three steps in this doctrine-frst, that all
have sinned and are worthy of condemnation
second, that therefore an atouement was pro-
vided for ALL but that all have rejected it. and
therefore are doubly worthy of condemnation
and. third, that men having cut themselves
off. no harm is done to any by the grace of God
by His holy spirit saving some He illustrated
by supposing men in prison who are condemned
and set their prison on fire. The keeper sets the
door wide open for them to escape. They refuse
to do so. He goes in. can only save ten and an
other ten perish. He said, God saves all He
cam He further remarked that at some future
time he would show that this did not represent
any odious partially in God, and also said the
doctrine of DEGREES could not destroy free will
for it was a decree which was free will That
is old-fashoned Presbyterianism and that was
the way he preached then. l have it down. you
see, taken at the time.
words, Celtic He had the Celtic address, the
wit, the brilliancy. the fervid genius, sentiment
ano oratory-and to carry the Celtic suggestion
further, he stuck to his friends. right or wrong
He was anti-Teutonic and was distinguished for
the great number and felicity of his iIlustra-
tons. Without clerical manners, and perhaps o
little deficient in reverence he had the most re-
markable readiness and humor on all occasions
and was perhaps as much distinguished for con-
versatonal talent and ability as in the pulpit
He was good judge of human nature and had
an excellent memory of persons. He was not a
proud man, but a man OF some vanity. I think
he resembled Henry Clay in being able to speak
without any great amount of labor, and think
that what he wrote was also done with speed,
and it remains to be seen whether in the future
he is to be very much read
"a good deaf has been said about the circum-
stances under which he went East Before
going he consulted lis members quite generally.
and when he spoke to me l told him thought
he could do better in city than here; that he
had the ability; that he had already published
book-his Letters to Young Men, which had
been we'll received-that in the future he would
probably be writer, and it was not to be ex-
pected that a man out here in the West, espe-
cially issuing books here, could command the at
tention OF the country like the same man living
in a great city in the East. There was an i'm
preston in the mind of Mr.. Clarkson. one Of his
friends, that Mr. Beecher left Indianapolis
because he was to receive a larger salary in the
East, and Mr.. Clarkson published au article of
that kind in his paper. the Brookve American.
But this hurt the feelings of Mir. Beecher. He
wrote to Mr. Clarkson Sept g. 1877. before leav
ing Indianapolis. And here turning to a scrap
book. 'are a few extracts from that letter pub
lished thirty years after, June l6. 1877. in the
Indianapolis journal:
II am sure do not leave the West for mercenarv
reasons since am in fact better off pecuniarily
than shall be in Brooklyn. In Brooklyn my salary
for the first year is only 81 500 The whole reason
of leaving is found in the low and declining state
of my wifes health. L hope that few years by the
Spas will To atr1rDa tot Waot
do not believe that in the whole East there is place
of greater Importance usefulness than that now
and every day adds to the Importance of this
"Mr. Beecher will be remembered by the peo-
pie of Indianapolis with great kindness for his
demonstrations of kindness to them have always
been very marked. In 1857 he visited here and
published article in his paner headed, Home
Revisited which he afterwards repubished, in
1862, in his Eyes and Ears in which he speaks
of his old members. He says: The kind
citizens, rejoicing in the growth and prosperity
of their citv, naturally wished that | should
the new things. turned away. 1t was the
old things that l cared for There was Go
| tongue in the new, but the old spoke and told
me, if not all that ever did, yet good deal of
it, In the same article he refers very kindly to
my mother and three OF her children by SAYING
The first children baptized in the academy THAT
is in the old seminary were twins. One is grown
nearly to manhood earth, the other in
heaven. The mother that was broken hearted
daughter has mounted thitherward rejoicing,
too
when Mr.. Beecher was last in the city one
of our citizens invited me to join him in call
| upon him at the Denison HOUSE. He very
| agreeable. in remarkably excellent health and
spirits and his faculties thought to be in full
| force. Mr. Beecher volunteered remark about
his property, saying that If he should die now all
that he could leave his family would be his farm,
| house and library, worth in all SlO0, 900, and
| admitted that was q very email amount, consid-
| ering the immense receipts he had had. The
| gentleman with me said that he had expressed
the opinion in 1s47. to some of the members of
| Mr.. Beecher's church that it would be very bad
| policy for him to leave here. To this | made
] answer that his going in very short time was
| a matter of course. as Indianapolis was not big
| enough to hold him. That if four pound bass
| in freshet should SWIM ont of the river into
| Pogue's run it would not be long before he would
| go back. This amused Mr. Beecher very much.
! Il recall an anecdota illustrating, l think
Mr.. Beecher's love of humor and droliery. He
was naturally cut out for great actor. Once
he was returning from Terre Haute to this city
| member Of his congregation, got into the coacf
at Greencastle. 1t was dark, and after jogging
| along little way in silence Mr. Beecher dis
| guised his voice and began making inquiries o.
| Mr.. Graydon to where he lived. When hi
learned it was at Indianapolis he began to ply
his felow-traveer with all manner of questions
| inquired about Beechers church and congrega
tion and finally about Beecher himself. Mr.
Graydon was loyal and eulogized Beecher great
ly. The hoax was discovered at the next stop
ping place"
THE MAN AND HIS WORK.